Romanian historian who debunked Dracula myth dies

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian-born historian and philanthropist Radu Florescu, who wrote a book linking Count Dracula to the 15th-century Romanian prince Vlad the Impaler, has died at 88.

Florescu died Sunday in Mougins, France, from complications connected to pneumonia, his son John Florescu told The Associated Press.

Florescu wrote a dozen books but was most famous for "In Search of Dracula," which he co-authored with Raymond T. McNally in 1972, where he asserted that Bram Stoker based his Dracula character on Vlad the Impaler.

Born in Bucharest in 1925, Florescu left Romania as World War II broke out and traveled to Britain, where his father was acting ambassador. He later moved to the U.S. and was director of the East European Research Center at Boston University.